The Greatest Enemy of Freedom is… Freedom
That may strike you as illogical. However, the common idea of freedom is being unrestrained from doing anything I want to. And that is the very destruction of freedom.
People steal because they want to. Sometimes they steal from the very people who care for them the most, damaging if not destroying the relationships they need. Doing whatever we want creates chaos. And we are not designed for chaos. It only breeds tyrants.
Freedom exists and flourishes when we, as a community, restrain ourselves from doing whatever we want to do and doing what is best for everyone. These internal restraints are commonly referred to as morals. President Zachary Taylor said, “A free government cannot exist without religion and morals, and there cannot be morals without religion, nor religion without the Bible.”
Paul wrote, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Cor 3:17) I would suggest to you that where the Spirit of the Lord is we also find, forgiveness, mercy, justice, kindness, and love. These are the traits of freedom. Restricting what I do for the benefit of others. It is loving my neighbor as myself. It is where we find freedom.